Buckeyes Hope Stock Has Risen At NFL Combine

For the nine representatives from Ohio State, the NFL Combine went about as expected. Players such as Cameron Heyward and Chimdi Chekwa did not participate in the physical activities, due to their respective injury rehabilitations, but all of the other representatives seemed to do well.

Dane Sanzenbacher would never be considered a speed receiver, and his 40 yard dash (4.59) confirmed those notions. Sanzenbacher impressed with performances in the cone drills and short shuttles, demonstrating the appropriate skill set of lateral quickness for a possession receiver at the next level. One could also surmise Sanzenbacher was impressive in his interviews, based upon comments Sanzenbacher made during his brief media session at the NFL Combine.

As predicted, Brandon Saine had a strong 40 yard dash (4.43), as well as strong outings in the vertical jump and bench press. In order for Saine to be drafted, Saine will need to demonstrate strong receiving abilities in workouts. A move to fullback for a team that runs the West Coast offense does not seem out of the question as I evaluate Saine, as his speed and receiving abilities may make him more attractive versus a traditional halfback spot.

Justin Boren had a slower 40 time, but performed well in the other drills. I see Boren going on day three to a run-oriented offense that will play him on the strong side to help him with his lack of foot speed. Boren may be one of those players who do not test well, but are just natural football players, and I suspect some team will plug him into their draft plans on the third day of the draft.

Ross Homan and Brian Rolle both performed well in linebacker drills, displaying strong coverage skills. Rolle will not grow taller between now and the draft, so his strong performances in the 40 yard dash (4.56), bench press (28 repetitions), and 3 cone drill may convince some team to bypass his lack of height. Homan displayed his strength with 32 repetitions on the bench, as well as impressive performances in both shuttle drills. Homan may have impressed a team as a possible weakside linebacker in the later rounds.

Jermale Hines may have intrigued a team or two as a possible linebacker at the next level. Hines may not have a future as a safety in the NFL, but Hines' strong hitting abilities, plus his previous experience at linebacker, may give him a shot at that position on day three of the draft.

NFL teams are intrigued with Devon Torrence's previous baseball experience. Torrence formerly played in the Houston Astros' minor league system, and the experience seems to have intrigued Green Bay GM Ted Thompson.

The NFL Combine is merely one step of this lengthy process for these former Buckeyes and NFL hopefuls. Ohio State will have its pro day in Columbus on March 11th, and the hazy picture may seem to become more clear as to which team(s) have interest in possibly selecting one, or more, of these players in the upcoming NFL Draft.

New look to the blog

I wanted to change it up a little bit. This newer design will allow for options to link posts to Facebook (see below on this post for example), plus it is more of an Ohio State-esque color too.

Let me know what you think, and have a good weekend...

Along The Olentangy update

I wanted to share with any and all who may follow this blog that I am going to be a contributor to Along The Olentangy, an Ohio State-oriented website.

http://www.alongtheolentangy.com/

Buckeyes Prepare For The Rigors Of The NFL Combine

(Post originally posted to Along The Olentangy on 02/20/2011)

The NFL Combine has become an oasis for thirsty football fans everywhere. Eager for any and all information after the Super Bowl, the NFL Combine provides college football fans a small glimpse into how NFL teams value (or do not value) their former stars, while also giving NFL fans a preview of the incoming talent that will be available in the upcoming NFL Draft April 28-30.

The NFL Combine's primary benefits are to conduct extensive physical examinations of the players, schedule player interviews with interested team personnel, and have the players perform in various drills. In short, the teams rely heavily on their scouts and actual game film of the players - the NFL Combine simply allows teams to confirm or potentially reevaluate their rankings after the combine concludes.

Ohio State is sending a large contingent of players to this year's NFL Combine. DL Cameron Heyward, CB Chimdi Chekwa, WR Dane Sanzenbacher, OG Justin Boren, RB Brandon Saine, LB Ross Homan, LB Brian Rolle, DB Jermale Hines, and CB Devon Torrence all will have opportunities to make positive impressions on NFL decision makers.

The first suggestion for virtually every one of these players is to participate in every NFL drill possible. Look for the usual reports of NFL personnel grumbling about top prospects not working out to surface at the conclusion of the combine. Considering most of the Ohio State players are going to be third day selections (projected rounds four through seven), it is imperative that every Buckeye performs well here, and at the Ohio State pro day that will be scheduled for some time in March in Columbus.

One purely speculative idea on my part - keep your eyes and ears open for how Brandon Saine performs at the Combine. While Saine struggled in the running game this year, Saine has exceptional speed (Ohio state record holder in the 100 meter dash at 10.38; listed with a 4.35 40) and should test well. It would not surprise me if Saine performed both as a running back and as a wide receiver during drills.

DL Cameron Heyward may actually get a pass in the eyes of the evaluators. Heyward is coming off surgery performed in late January for a hyperextended elbow sustained during the Sugar Bowl - it may be best to postpone any workouts until properly healed.

The same could be said for CB Chimdi Chekwa. Chekwa suffered a dislocated wrist during the Sugar Bowl, and the injury was severe enough to require surgery. If Chekwa's wrist is not fully healed, it may be in his best interests to postpone any type of workout at the combine.

For both Heyward and Chekwa, these injuries are going to be zeroed in upon by NFL personnel at the NFL Combine. NFL teams are notorious for their thoroughness with finding out anything and everything as it relates to past injury history, so Heyward and Chekwa should be prepared to be drilled about these injuries during the interviews. The same could apply to Dane Sanzenbacher, who sustained his fair share of concussions during his time in Columbus.

Like every other football fan out there, I am going to be curious to find out how players performed under the lights of the NFL Combine. Hopefully, the various players from Ohio State will be among those players deemed to be on the "risers" list at the Combine's conclusion.

The 2011 Ohio State Recruiting Class - Much To Like, But Questions Remain

My initial thoughts on the 2011 recruiting class...

1. I am excited about the emphasis on defense with this class. Coach Tressel stated that there were thirteen defensive players - with so many graduating seniors, it will be interesting to see how many contribute as freshmen, especially on special teams.

2. Not enough offensive linemen - yes, I know they signed four players (or will, once Chris Carter, Jr.'s legal saga is over), but Ohio State should be signing maybe five every year. The offensive line will lose Michael Brewster, Mike Adams, and J.B. Shugarts next season.

With the exception of Brian Bobek, the other three players are labeled as projects who will need tremendous development. Offensive line will be the key need area for the 2012 recruiting class, even with early commitment Kyle Kalis. The inability to sign more offensive linemen in the 2010 class may come back to haunt Ohio State.

3. Interesting strategy with signing two quarterbacks in Braxton Miller and Cardale Jones. I have never been a big fan of doing this - usually what will happen is the one quarterback will start, resulting in the other quarterback transferring from the program. Ohio State was immune to this back in 2002, when Justin Zwick and Troy Smith were signed, and Smith wound up winning the starting position for good in 2005. Zwick stayed throughout his career at Ohio State until 2006.

Ohio State has experience with the grayshirt practice they will use with Cardale Jones, using it with Todd Boeckman back in 2003. Boeckman was recruited in 2003, delayed enrollment until 2004, and then redshirted the 2004 season, giving him four years of eligibility from 2005-2008.
If Ohio State grayshirts Cardale Jones, and redshirts him, Jones' eligibility would range from 2013-2016. Braxton Miller will probably play some this coming season, meaning his eligibility range will go from 2011-2014. It will also bear watching to see what the other quarterbacks with eligibility beyond 2011 (Kenny Guiton, Jr., Taylor Graham) do in the coming months.

4. The class emphasis will always be in Ohio (see chart below). With Michigan hiring Brady Hoke, I am anxious to see how Coach Tressel does in keeping the top Ohio talent coming to Ohio State.

5. How does this class rank? Who truly knows - for all of the pontificating by "experts", what I found refreshing listening to the Ohio State coaching staff during their press conference was hearing them talk about having the players in Ohio State's summer camp, or watching them at various practice opportunities. Coach Tressel made a point on The Big Ten Network's recruiting special, when he stated that former Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne seemed to do fine winning national championships, despite having supposedly lower-ranked recruiting classes.

I have said before on recruiting, and I will say again - if the Ohio State coaching staff deems a young man worthy of a scholarship, then I am sold. The coaching staff has to win, or lose, with the players recruited. And if the staff loses enough, the staff will be replaced. It is absolutely incumbent upon the staff to do their homework.

Put it another way - we will have a better feel for this class in 2014 or 2015. I believe Ramzy Nasrallah of Bucknuts.com represents the concept of National Letter Of Intent Day best in the following article that I hope you all read and enjoy.

[Columbus Dispatch] ~ Blogging The Buckeyes - Siciliano: Pryor should get his job back

Found this interesting. Not entirely surprising to me, but should still be worth keeping an eye on for next fall, if Ohio State is undefeated going into the Nebraska game on October 8^th.

I will post my thoughts on the 2011 recruiting class sometime in the next day or so. Supposedly, Cleveland JFK recruit Chris Carter, Jr. is not going to be charged and may sign with Ohio State today. And there are also rumors of an Illinois offensive lineman who may visit this coming weekend.

For any of you wondering if Terrelle Pryor's starting job is in jeopardy after his five-game NCAA suspension expires, here's your answer: Probably not. Quarterbacks coach Nick Siciliano told me last week that, in his opinion, nothing that happens between now and Oct. 8 -- Game No. 6 for OSU this fall -- should keep Pryor from regaining his spot. Pryor is 31-4 as a starter. He holds the OSU record for rushing yards by a QB, and is tied with Bob Hoying for most career touchdown passes (57). There has been much speculation that if someone shines in Pryor's absence (and most people believe freshman Braxton Miller is the most likely someone) , that it might be tough to sit that player back down when the suspension is over. This should dampen that speculation: Siciliano compared the situation to that faced by the Pittsburgh Steelers this season, when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was suspended for the first four games. "We have a recent example of a quarterback missing some time, and then taking his team to the Super Bowl when he got his job back," Siciliano said. "I would foresee (Pryor) getting his job back. That's just my opinion right now."

View article...